A powerful but abrasive debut EP, this release comes off as a cross between the experimental black metal of artists like Xasthur and the most ominous dark ambient artists from the Cold Meat Industry stable. Introductory track "Inception" is almost pure ambient with subdued but extremely dark orchestral soundscapes backing growls and distant tortured wails; eventually, an electric guitar drone rises from the morass before launching into the low-fi black metal assault of "Kiss the Fist." The EP's centerpiece, "Bound in Your Entrails," is also its most affecting offering, bringing together the best of both worlds: from black metal come slow cymbal crashes and tortured whispers describing a panoply of gory images, while thick orchestral ambiance gives things a sense of seriousness that elevates it above the more juvenile associations of classic black metal. "Could Not Find Her Heart" is more straightforward, though the guitars occasionally take a turn for the progressive, and "Enter Dominion" ends things with an eight-minute epic of blackened synthesized atmospheres punctuated by marching snare drums and shrieking vocals that culminate in a frantic assault of blast beats and metal riffs. Promising stuff, though not particularly listener-friendly, Treachery's work will appeal to metal fans at the most extreme end of the spectrum.

Visit the Czar of Crickets Productions website at www.czarofcrickets.com for song samples and ordering information..